Genomic evidence for a-α heterothallic and α-α unisexual mating and recombination in an environmental Cryptococcus deneoformans population.

ABSTRACT: Cryptococcus deneoformans is a human fungal pathogen capable of both a-α and α-α mating and sexual reproduction in laboratory settings. However, the extent of a-α and α-α sexual reproductions in natural populations remain unexplored. Here we analyzed the whole-genome sequences of 24 environmental strains of C. deneoformans from western Saudi Arabia, including one MATa and 23 MATα isolates, with 15 MATα isolates belonging to multi-locus sequence type ST160 as defined by their combined DNA sequences at seven loci. To identify signatures for a-α and α-α reproduction, three samples were analyzed: total, MATα, and ST160. For each subpopulation, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified for both the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes and subjected to four-gamete tests. In the total p

SUBMITTER: Hitchcock M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12677459 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature